Darren Aronofsky is in talks to take the helm of 20th Century Fox's WOLVERINE sequel, reports Vulture. Film's star Hugh Jackman has a close relationship with the director since they worked together on THE FOUNTAIN.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. is trying to woo the director with TALES FROM THE GANGSTER SQUAD, a 1940s cops-and-robbers project, after the studio went with Zack Snyder over Aronofsky for the SUPERMAN reboot. Word is Warner Bros. needed a director who would work faster, because it needs to get production rolling by 2011 to avoid potential lawsuits with the Superman creators' heirs. It seems David Goyer's script needs some work and WB felt Snyder would get a shooting script done quicker than the perfectionist Aronofsky.